Surrounded by Tech, We Can’t Forget About Human Contact
Technology is a beautiful thing, but in healthy moderation.
In the two-plus years since the COVID-19 pandemic shifted how we work, learn and live, using technology in moderation has become an ideal of the past for many of us. Endless video calls, a constant stream of emails, a symphony of notifications – our tech follows us everywhere we go.
As we navigate this new world with more technology at our fingertips than ever before, we’d be remiss to not note the many advantages of this continued tech boom. The global expansion of remote and hybrid work granted new opportunities to people who were incapable of moving to metropolitan areas to work in an office five days a week, including parents with young children, people with disabilities and those who prefer living in rural areas. Remote and hybrid learning has also become more accessible — particularly higher education. Convenient communication tools like Zoom and Slack have allowed people around the world to remain closely connected despite distance, particularly in maintaining progress for businesses. Across industries, business owners are taking advantage of automation tools such as chat bots to increase efficiency and improve customer service, filling gaps left by the pandemic.
Such advances in technology are exciting, making possible new ways of life in many cases. However, as our reliance on technology continues to know no bounds, we run the risk of becoming detached from how we interact as humans, and subsequently, how we work together.
The past two years have illuminated the minute details of daily work life that were once taken for granted — from enjoying coffee with colleagues to talking through ideas in-person. After COVID limited face-to-face interactions for much of the world, many are eager to return to offices with greater regularity.
Human contact still matters in business. Human contact still matters in delivering quality customer service. And it still matters in maintaining relationships. No matter how powerful or omnipresent technology has become, human connection is still the driving force behind the most important aspects of our lives.
However, it doesn’t have to be one or the other — in addition to human contact, tech can still play a strong, supporting role in business, customer service and relationships. For example, while some might see AI as a threat to job security, many workers across disciplines have found that AI tools actually help them work more efficiently. While chat bots might not always be as good as talking to a real person, they are still a viable option for prompt customer service — especially considering the staffing challenges that came with COVID.
But do we want to fully rely on technology for work and communication? Its capabilities for communication are clear, but so are its shortcomings. When so many professionals rely on a given platform day in and day out, servers can be overwhelmed. We’ve all witnessed numerous outages across major platforms like Zoom, disrupting business as usual. And when other types of technical issues are thrown into the mix, it only complicates communications.
Above all else, though, one of the biggest threats of tech reliance is letting our five senses slip by. As stimulating as technology has become, the virtual world pales in comparison to actually seeing, touching, hearing, smelling or tasting something in person. We can’t forget that we’re real humans with real instincts and emotions — not robots.
Moving forward, it’s essential that we remember the importance of human contact while still embracing the advantages of technology, utilizing it to make our world a better, more efficient and more connected place. As technology isn’t going anywhere, we need to maintain a healthy relationship with it so we don’t miss out on the moments that make the human experience so special.
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